We're missing a starting CB and SS. I am a little hazy on the depth situation here since we were forced to go with a lot of temp players last season.

I think the line is rock solid, Perry Riley looked good last year and Orakpo and Kerrigan make an awesome OLB combo. The secondary is still a mess. The Redskins could conceivably save some money by restructuring/cutting but it'd be tough work. The team obviously wants Aquib Talib badly and reports say they're trying to work something out with limited cap space.

Chase Minnefield's knees continue to cause him problems, Zo Alexander is gone and the team is a long way from being complete on D. Let's hope we can find some value in the aging veteran department, combine that with Shanahan's keen eye for late round talent, Allen's cap management skills and AJ Smith's years of experience and we might, just might be able to flip the bird to Mara next year.

Last edited by Skinsfan55 on Thu Mar 21, 2013 10:00 am, edited 3 times in total.

"Guess [Ryan Kerrigan] really does have a good motor. And is relentless. And never quits on a play. And just keeps coming. And probably eats Wheaties and drinks Apple Pie smoothies and shaves with Valvoline." -Dan Steinberg DC Sports Bog

Wait a minute, since when is London not under contract? If you left him off because of the surgery and not sure if he'd be ready to start, ok, but I'm pretty sure he's under contract with like a $5.5m base salary. Last I heard about his K, it was that the had not been, and would not be, asked to restructure.

I know he got a pretty good zip on the ball. He has a quick release. . . once I seen a coupla' throws, I was just like 'Yeah, he's that dude.'"

Redskins CB Chase Minnifield is now experiencing problems with his left knee after tearing his right ACL in last year's minicamp.

Dating back to high school, Minnifield has torn the right ACL twice and also undergone a microfracture procedure on that knee. When performing Minnifield's last ACL surgery, Dr. James Andrews used a graft from his left patellar tendon, and now Minnifield is essentially rehabbing both knees. Minnifield "hopes" to be ready for OTAs. The Skins obviously can't count on him for a 2013 role.

"Guess [Ryan Kerrigan] really does have a good motor. And is relentless. And never quits on a play. And just keeps coming. And probably eats Wheaties and drinks Apple Pie smoothies and shaves with Valvoline." -Dan Steinberg DC Sports Bog

Redskins CB Chase Minnifield is now experiencing problems with his left knee after tearing his right ACL in last year's minicamp.

Dating back to high school, Minnifield has torn the right ACL twice and also undergone a microfracture procedure on that knee. When performing Minnifield's last ACL surgery, Dr. James Andrews used a graft from his left patellar tendon, and now Minnifield is essentially rehabbing both knees. Minnifield "hopes" to be ready for OTAs. The Skins obviously can't count on him for a 2013 role.

That says he's on schedule for recovery, not that his "knees continue to cause him problems."

"But I'm running full speed. I'm working on my 40 [yard dash] and getting my speed back down. I'm doing cutting drills and backpedaling drills."..."It's not hindering me in any way," said Minnifield, who will visit Andrews on Monday for a checkup. "My right knee is giving me no problems. It's doing better than my left leg. I feel really good about my situation. Going through it one time made the second time a lot easier. I knew what the possible outcome could be."

Last edited by Deadskins on Wed Mar 13, 2013 12:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.

He's listed as having no 2013 cap hit. Apparently he's still under contract, although at a major cap hit.

"Guess [Ryan Kerrigan] really does have a good motor. And is relentless. And never quits on a play. And just keeps coming. And probably eats Wheaties and drinks Apple Pie smoothies and shaves with Valvoline." -Dan Steinberg DC Sports Bog

Brandon Merriweather is a Strong Safety. Tanard Jackson is a Free Safety. Both are expected back. In fact, Brandon Merriweather just restructured his deal today, saving the Redskins close to $1M under the salary cap.

The holes that we have in the secondary are at starting corner, and DEPTH at safety and corner. The front line guys got injured last year, exposing our lack of depth. The goal is to bring in guys what can be developed into starters or who can immediately play in spots at a higher level than Madieu Williams, Dejon Gomes & Reed Doughty.

A returning pass rush helps as well and Carriker and Orakpo will both be back.

This is not a swiss cheese job like some people make it out to be. It's just a glaring weakness since we lost both starting safeties last year, and our backups were a HUGE dropoff. The first NYG game alone exposed that. With just average safety play, we would have been an 11 win team. With HORRID safety play we were a 10 win team. We're looking for guys who can help us win. Not Jesus in Cleats.

Skinsfan55 wrote:Redskins CB Chase Minnifield is now experiencing problems with his left knee after tearing his right ACL in last year's minicamp.

Using the same procedure as RGIII, the Doctor took material from one knee to fix the other. He's ONLY having issue's with it because it was purposefully weakened. There are no setbacks and he's still on his way to a full recovery.

Granted, he's still a question mark. But let's not make it out to be some doomsday scenario. He is in position to contribute this year.

The Hogster wrote:Brandon Merriweather is a Strong Safety. Tanard Jackson is a Free Safety. Both are expected back. In fact, Brandon Merriweather just restructured his deal today, saving the Redskins close to $1M under the salary cap.

The holes that we have in the secondary are at starting corner, and DEPTH at safety and corner. The front line guys got injured last year, exposing our lack of depth. The goal is to bring in guys what can be developed into starters or who can immediately play in spots at a higher level than Madieu Williams, Dejon Gomes & Reed Doughty.

A returning pass rush helps as well and Carriker and Orakpo will both be back.

This is not a swiss cheese job like some people make it out to be. It's just a glaring weakness since we lost both starting safeties last year, and our backups were a HUGE dropoff. The first NYG game alone exposed that. With just average safety play, we would have been an 11 win team. With HORRID safety play we were a 10 win team. We're looking for guys who can help us win. Not Jesus in Cleats.

I concur, Hogster. We aren't looking bad at all going into next season. Could it be better? Absolutely. Are we looking like we are going to be competitive next year? I say soooooooo.

The Hogster wrote:Brandon Merriweather is a Strong Safety. Tanard Jackson is a Free Safety. Both are expected back. In fact, Brandon Merriweather just restructured his deal today, saving the Redskins close to $1M under the salary cap.

The holes that we have in the secondary are at starting corner, and DEPTH at safety and corner. The front line guys got injured last year, exposing our lack of depth. The goal is to bring in guys what can be developed into starters or who can immediately play in spots at a higher level than Madieu Williams, Dejon Gomes & Reed Doughty.

A returning pass rush helps as well and Carriker and Orakpo will both be back.

This is not a swiss cheese job like some people make it out to be. It's just a glaring weakness since we lost both starting safeties last year, and our backups were a HUGE dropoff. The first NYG game alone exposed that. With just average safety play, we would have been an 11 win team. With HORRID safety play we were a 10 win team. We're looking for guys who can help us win. Not Jesus in Cleats.

My only disagreement with you is on counting Tanard as a go. I believe his suspension was indefinite, so there is no guarantee he'll be off of it even in August. And his not being available for the entirety of camp/preseason/OTAs/etc. prior to that doesn't give me the warm and fuzzies, either.

Now Merriweather is a different story. That guy is precisely what we need, can't wait to see him in action.I saw all I needed to in the 1st half against philly last year (7 tackles, 2 PD and 1 INT and infected the entire secondary). I'm hopeful that last year was the aberation injury-wise that it appears to be for him given that he's never (EVER) been injured before.

I know he got a pretty good zip on the ball. He has a quick release. . . once I seen a coupla' throws, I was just like 'Yeah, he's that dude.'"

Cappster wrote:I concur, Hogster. We aren't looking bad at all going into next season. Could it be better? Absolutely. Are we looking like we are going to be competitive next year? I say soooooooo.

I think the best way we can improve this defense is by adding depth. Depth in finding Londons replacement. Depth at NT. Depth at SAFETY! Injuries are gonna happen, but it's all about how you can absorb the blow. We definitely got knocked to the mat last year, but the defense got back up.